When your debt stress begins to spiral out of your control, credit counseling can sometimes be the answer—if you can find a reputable group. CredAbility provides many free services, and are available 24/7 to help you strengthen your finances.

Formerly known as CCCS Atlanta, CredAbility.org has long provided ways for you to get financial advice, whether via telephone or at one of their locations in the southeastern US. They even offer live chat on their web site, allowing you to talk to someone instantly and get advice on formulating a plan of action to ease your financial stress. Their services include budget and credit counseling, foreclosure prevention, and housing pre-purchase education. They even offer a number of tools on their web site, like an auto loan calculator, credit card calculator, and even a financial dictionary.

What further separates CredAbility is that most of their services are free, unlike a lot of the less reputable groups out there that charge upfront fees. They will charge a small fee when helping you work with bankruptcy, and a monthly fee when using a debt management plan, however. They've been around for a long time and have a number of knowledgeable people at the ready, so whether you need just a bit of advice or an all-out planning session, they're a resource worth checking out.